Frequently Asked Questions

Captain's Deck is a dual-pane file manager for macOS. It's inspired by classic "orthodox" file managers like Norton Commander and Midnight Commander, but built with modern macOS technologies. It features side-by-side directory panels, powerful keyboard navigation, built-in terminal, remote server connections (SFTP, FTP, S3), and much more.

Captain's Deck requires macOS 13 Ventura or later. It runs natively on both Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4) and Intel Macs. We recommend the latest macOS version for the best experience.

Finder is great for casual use, but power users often need more. Captain's Deck offers dual-pane navigation (see two folders at once), keyboard-driven workflow, built-in terminal, remote server access, archive browsing, and more. If you frequently copy files between folders, work with servers, or prefer keyboard over mouse, Captain's Deck will transform your workflow.

No, Captain's Deck is only available as a direct download from our website. The Mac App Store requires sandboxing, which would prevent key features like the built-in terminal, admin mode, and full file system access from working properly. By distributing directly, we can offer the full power of a native macOS app without limitations.

No. Captain's Deck Pro is a one-time purchase of $19.99. Pay once, use forever. Your purchase includes one year of free updates. After that, you can continue using your current version indefinitely, or purchase an upgrade for another year of updates at a discounted price.

Your license works on up to 3 Macs that you personally own and use. This covers your typical setup: desktop, laptop, and maybe a home office machine. If you need more seats or a team license, please contact us.

After the trial ends, Pro features (terminal, remote connections, visual diff, Norton Commander theme, 7z/RAR archives, admin mode, plugins) will be locked. You can continue using the basic dual-pane file browser, tabs, and ZIP browsing for free. Upgrade anytime to unlock everything.

Yes. We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. If Captain's Deck isn't right for you, email us within 30 days of purchase and we'll issue a full refund. We want you to be happy with your purchase.

Yes! We offer 50% off for students and educators with a valid .edu email. For teams of 5 or more, contact us for volume licensing options with significant discounts. We also offer free licenses for open source maintainers.

Captain's Deck supports both Vim-style (hjkl) and arrow key navigation. Press F1 to see the full keyboard shortcuts overlay. Common shortcuts include: Tab to switch panes, Space for quick preview, Enter to open, Backspace to go up, F5 to copy, F6 to move, F8 to delete, Cmd+G to go to path, and many more.

Yes! Captain's Deck Pro supports SFTP/SSH, FTP/FTPS, and S3-compatible storage (Amazon S3, MinIO, DigitalOcean Spaces, Backblaze B2). Connect to remote servers and browse them just like local folders. Save connection credentials securely in your macOS Keychain.

Yes! The integration is bidirectional. Navigate to a folder in the file browser and the terminal automatically changes to that directory. Run 'cd' in the terminal and the file browser follows. This works with zsh, bash, and other shells that support OSC 7 escape sequences.

Captain's Deck can browse ZIP archives (free) and 7z, RAR, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ (Pro). Just press Enter on an archive to browse it like a folder. Extract files or entire archives with standard copy operations.

It's a nostalgic DOS-style theme that recreates the look of classic Norton Commander from the 1980s-90s. Blue background, cyan text, retro fonts, and optional effects like CRT scanlines and phosphor glow. Perfect for those who grew up with DOS or just appreciate retro aesthetics.

Yes! Captain's Deck Pro includes a JavaScript plugin system. Create custom context menu items, add new file providers, automate workflows, or integrate with external services. Plugins run in a sandboxed environment with granular permissions. See the documentation for the full API.

Yes. Captain's Deck is a 100% native macOS app written in Swift with AppKit. No Electron, no web views, no cross-platform frameworks. It uses native macOS APIs throughout, with a high-performance C++ core for file operations. This means fast launch times, low memory usage, and a truly native feel.

Very well! Captain's Deck uses lazy loading and async enumeration to handle directories with hundreds of thousands or even millions of files. The UI remains responsive while loading, and memory usage stays low even for massive directories. No more spinning beach balls.

Admin Mode lets you access system-protected files that require root privileges. It uses Apple's SMJobBless framework for secure privilege escalation. Authenticate once, then seamlessly read and write to protected directories without constant password prompts. Great for system administration tasks.

Captain's Deck stores all data locally on your Mac. We don't collect any usage data, file information, or personal details. Server credentials are stored securely in your macOS Keychain. License validation only sends your license key to verify it (no file data). We take privacy seriously.